Click on any of the images for the full-sized picture.

18-Feb-2001 -- 33N 114W is on the southeastern corner of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Arizona. A four-wheel drive trail to within two miles east of the confluence is inaccesible because of its proximity to the Yuma Proving Grounds, where the Army test fires tanks and missiles and things. So I had to take a longer route, which began from another four-wheel drive trail 90 minutes from the main road into the refuge. Here, I was five miles west of the confluence.

I was planning for a two-day trek there and back. My route took me over three separate ridges in the Castle Dome Mountains. The valleys were disorienting mazes of deep, dry washes, and the ridges were steep talus slopes, dotted with cholla which really hurt. My map reading skills aren't so great, and by the last two miles, I was relying mostly on GPS and compass. The final and steepest ridge led me to the vista featured in the pictures. It was a breathtaking scene, but at 33 00 00/114 00 59 there was still about a mile to the confluence, which would have required a steep dismount down loose rock into the valley below, and another ridge climb. And of course, that was just half the hike. Alone, and without the necessary skills, endurance, or time to go on, I reluctantly called this an attempted confluence.

I'd like to try it again, maybe after the hot season. For anyone else who tries this, I'd recommend circumnavigating some of the ridges by following some of the wider riverbeds. It will add another few miles on to the trek, but it's pristine and striking desert landscape, and worth the hike, confluence or not.